A large natural cavern found by the initial expedition. It has been cleared out and filled with sand. Naturally flowing hotspring pools inside the cavern keeps this cavern warm enough for dragon eggs, but also makes it very humid with all the steam from the hotspring waters.

The lone brown on the sands was starting to grow impatient with waiting. He was weaving in and out of the candidates, eager for that something, something, something that he needed to do, but he wasn’t quite ready to do it just yet. He wanted to play, and yet his stomach was telling him that if he didn’t make his choice soon, he was going to perish.

Perish! How dare his stomach telli him such a thing when there was playing that needed to be done? He nearly skipped as he made his way over to the last of the eggs, placing his cheek against each of them, wondering if any of his siblings wanted to come out and join him and each time he made a sad little sound when he pulled away.

Oh,Iunderstand.itisn'ttimeyet...Yes,Iknow,youwanttowaitforyourtime...Oh,don'tworry,I'mjustimpatienttoseeyou...AreyousureIcan'ttemptyouwithalittlebitofthisthingcalledfood... He continued with each of them, sometimes going back to one or two of them that had seemed to teeter or crack in places when he’d spoken to them, but in even he wasn’t going to push. A little grunt from one of the dragons above - was it mother, was it father, was it another? - had him tippy-toeing back to the candidates in no time.

Now,wherewasitthatIwas? He turned around and started nosing around, first in the sand as if he would find food there, and then when he realized he wasn’t going to have much luck there, he started to move around the candidates once again, circling them and sniffing at their robes. That was the best idea yet, he decided. Sniff at them and see what they smelled like. Surely one of them would smell like food, and food would be good - it would fill his belly, and food was where his brother would be!

Nope,notthere...no,yousmelllikethesand...youdotoo... He thought he smelled something familiar, strangely enough, and stopped by Ashton, taking the time to take in the scent of her robes, and while they smelled of something nice, he knew they weren't meant as his rider. Verysorryforthetroublethere,butyou'renotit... His excitement wasn't fading, not in the slightest, but his hunger sure was growing, and so was...

There! It wasn't a smell, but it was a sense of knowing. He looked up, away from the girl he was standing near and saw movement, and that sense was growing ever so strong that it clawed at his little belly as strong as the hunger he felt. With a cry, he ran forward, spraying Ashton and those near them with sand in the process, but his excitement was such that he didn't notice as he rushed to place himself between his chosen, and the destination he had in mind.

And once there, he turned to Angela, and bobbed his head up and down. Ifyou'llgivemeamoment,I'llallowhimtosayhello. Then all of himself, his body, his mind, his attention, his heart, was thrust at Allaster, and the brown crooned as he nuzzled against him. Sohereweare.Promiseme,Maukerith,food,andI'llbeyoursforever,Allaster.Oh,whoamIkidding,ofcourseI'llbeyoursforeveranyway!

Siriuth spoke up again, Many thanks, Miss. Could you help us find some food? I am rather hungry you know.

A watery chuckle left K’anu then as his vision finally began to clear. ”Could you show us, Aranrod? I’m not as experienced with this side of Candidacy,” K’anu joked as he struggled to stand from the awkward position at her feet.

Aranrod stood up carefully, avoiding bumping against the new weyrling pair in the now crowded seats. "I think we can get you two down to the food," she said, wiping away a bit of moisture from her eyes. She was so happy for him, and Zenith was quite pleased as well.

Youareveryclever,youchosethebestmanavailable.Heisaverygoodfriendtomine, she told Siriuth, with a warm mental nudge. She was sure that Arduinnath would be greeting the pyrite as well, once she had the chance.

Isupposeyoucamewhenitmattered, Zenith gently teased K'anu as Aranrod started heading down the stands with the new pair. It didn't bear thinking what would have happened if the young man had avoided the Hatching this time, but it didn't matter. Everything had worked out for the best.

Aranrod turned a bit to smile over her shoulder at K'anu and his Siriuth. She knew that for the next few months she wouldn't see as much of him as she had recently, but when he had a few spare minutes, the divide that had existed since he aged out would be gone. She needed to make certain to track P'dren down after the Hatching, and thank him for bringing their mutual friend today, though surely he would be congratulating himself already.

Allaster hadn't even reached the girls before the brown suddenly raced across the sands. He felt his eyes widen, and he turned to see the brown better, prepared to dodge out of the way. The last time he had seen a hatchling outright charge across the sands, there had been a few injuries. The sand sprayed across a group of candidates, but the brown came to a halt between Allaster and the girls, and turned to speak, probably to Angela?

Allaster took a breath, preparing to congratulate her, when the brown turned to look at HIM, and the breath was stopped in his throat.

Then all of himself, his body, his mind, his attention, his heart, was thrust at Allaster, and the brown crooned as he nuzzled against him. Sohereweare.Promiseme,Maukerith,food,andI'llbeyoursforever,Allaster.Oh,whoamIkidding,ofcourseI'llbeyoursforeveranyway!

"I. . . yes, of course, I can feed you," he squeaked out, his voice hitting an octave above where it had settled, before he started breathing again. And took a few deep, steadying breaths. He really had expected to be left standing a few times, and not be disappointed, but Maukerith. . .

Al'ster knew the candidatemasters had told them where the food would be, and yes, he saw where the previous pairs had gone. He looked back at Angela, and Siriuth paused. Ididtellheryoucouldsayhello, and Al'ster blinked. That was why Maukerith had spoken to Angela?

Buttellherquickly?IamSOOOhungry.

He laughed, reached out to scratch Maukerith's headknob gently. "I'll be quick," he promised, then took the few remaining steps toward Angela, as they were mostly in the right direction. "Hello," he said, ruefully, "thanks for directing me over here, but I guess we have to head to the food."

With the second of the twin browns still on the sands, a green hatched, but Raevin admittedly didn't notice her until he heard a hatchling squawk. He had been, guiltily, staring at the brown with hope. He also felt guilty at how he felt the desire to withdraw from the green. He knew he shouldn't be picky, that any dragon was a great dragon. But greens tended to prefer females, and he didn't like what one Impressing him would imply. Luckily he didn't have to worry, once she made up her mind if she was even going to deign them with her presence, she found the one for her quickly.

However, quickly after, another green broke shell. Of course it was to be expected, no greens had hatched before now, so it was likely that a bunch of greens might hatch one after another. He wondered if the rest of the clutch was greens, but was sure at least one of the remaining eggs was too big for a green. Instead of worrying about the second green though, he watched the brown again, still hoping that perhaps he was just taking his time. Soon after the second green Impressed, the brown seemed to finally give the candidates his attention. He walked through sniffing them all, and Raevin's breath hitched in hope once again. However, when the "you smell like sand," comment entered his mind, Raevin let out his held breath with a laugh, finding it too amusing to be too upset at the rejection outwardly. The sting hit him though after the laugh, as he looked out at the eggs.

Only four left now? Not many chances left. He took in a breath, and let it out, steeling himself for the remaining eggs, and trying to keep from feeling discouraged yet. After all, he wasn't the only one still standing, Zaynallen was with him still, as were others.

It was true, what her friend was saying. As long as they were standing through this together, they would make it through the rest. Sianca wasn't so worried after that, she really wasn't. It was still tough, seeing the dragons hatch and move on, not even bothering to come up to them. But at the same time, she was starting to understand it all so much more than before. It wasn't taking away all of the hurt, and she knew afterwards it would be difficult to take in completely, if she walked away which it seemed more and more likely to have happen. But at least she'd do it with her friend... if the same happened to Angela that is.

She bit her lip and watched as Angela directed another of her friends over, but not once did she let go, and so Sianca didn't bother letting go either. She gave the hand she held a squeeze, and smiled as the young man approached, only to be stopped by the beautiful brown. She was envious, to say the least, but she understood the process by this point, and that he belonged to... Allaster, she believed his name was. It was a good match, though she didn't know enough to truly understand how this all went, she just knew that it had to be a happy thing for them both.

When Allaster - though she supposed that wasn't his name now - turned ot Angela, Sianca kept quiet and nodded her head in greeting to him. Later would be the time for congratulations - she hadn't been the one addressed of the two girls.

Lerina nodded, not surprised at all that Zenjarth intended to chase. "I'm sure Issormoth will learn a lot by having Zenjarth to compete against. In all honesty I wouldn't mind waiting a few more Turns before becoming Weyrleader, there's still plenty for me to learn about New Atricis and the South in general. Unlike other places there isn't as much wrong with New Atricis that needs changing or improving. The biggest change to come however is the end of this Pass and preperations should be made for Weyr Life once Thread no longer falls for several generations to come."

She glanced over at the watchful form of Laureth watching over her eggs as they hatched then back at her father and gave a shrug."I don't think Issormoth is comfortable yet with chasing Zultanites. We didn't have them at Igen so they are still quite new to him. I doubt he'll admit it but I think he finds them intimidating. I can certainly encourage him to get to know the Zultanites to see if he would like to chase them. For now I'm perfectly fine with him just chasing golds. Mating flights can be tiresome at times."

It made her laugh to see a Zultanite hatch just as they finished talking about them. Seeing the humor in her father's eyes Lerina knew he too saw the humor of the timing. Next to hatch was the large egg she had wondered whether it contained a bronze. It never even crossed her mind it may contain twins, much less twin browns.

"I've never seen nor heard of twin browns...in fact the only twin dragons I have ever heard of are Opals and Pyrites...but this is something beyond that...a unique pair of dragons indeed." Lerina couldn't take her eyes off the pair. It was clear one was larger than another but that may change as they grow to maturity. Both were handsome dragons and other than the size difference both looked healthy and fully functional.

For a moment it looked like one of the browns would Impress to a woman, a possibility that filled Lerina with excitement only to be turned to disappointment. "I had thought he'll impress that girl...being a twin brown clearly was more than enough significance for their hatching than impressing a woman as well. Oh and two greens also hatched." Lerina only then noticed the greens being led to food by their riders. "I was starting to wonder if there will be greens in this clutch."

"Not too many eggs left," Lerina observed. "I wonder if there will be more surprises in the last couple of eggs. There were just 4 eggs left to hatch if she had her count right.

As the exuberant brown hatchling had weaved among the eggs, speaking with them and encouraging them, one of the eggs seemed to listen. When the brown moved away then, the egg began to shudder quicker, as if trying to catch up to it's brother and yet the spiced brown went to go find his own. Left behind, the egg continued to shake to and fro, eager to get out and it wasn't long until the first crack appeared, spreading wider and wider as the hatchling within pushed and shoved at it's confines.

It was only a few moments later that the shell finally gave way and crumbled down around the dragonet inside, revealing a deep, beautiful shade of blue that made the harpers envious. The hatchling gave a soft little rumble and shake of his head, flinging aside a piece of shell that had adorned the crown of his head. Idon'tthinkIlookverygoodinhats. He commented as faceted gaze regarded the discarded piece of shell and gave a soft little snort in it's direction. The offending shard gone though, he stood onto all four feet and gave himself a look over, making sure there were no other pieces clinging to him. Once satisfied, he nodded slightly and then turned his head to look out into the cavern inside, finding many eyes staring back at him.

Sogoodofyoualltowaitforme,that'sverykind. The blue said with his first few steps toward the candidates. IwishIhadsomethingtogiveyouallfinefolk,butIdon'tbelievetheoneformelieswithinanyofyou. The hatchling continued on as he moved through the white robes, glancing up at those closet to him, a brief brush of his mind against theirs, as if testing, making sure he was correct in his assumption. After passing through a group of candidates, the blue steps didn't stop and his gaze lifted into the Stands instead.

Thereisone...Icanfeelyououtthere...Comeout,comeoutwhereveryouare! The bold blue sang out, carefully stepping up onto the first ring of the Stands, and glancing about himself until he had more of a direction now. Could feel where the tugging was coming from, and he turned into the row of spectators, each person doing their best to scramble out of the hatchlings way.

One person however, didn't move and instead had been hoping perhaps the baby blue was coming for him and reached out toward the hatchling as he neared. Nonono...You'renottheone,mineisjustbehindyou.Excuseme. The dragonet said, practically head butting the person and nudging his way past the spectator and brought himself right in front of his chosen. Yes,it'syouCataren,itwasalwaysyou. The little blue said with a rumble and faceted eyes looked up at the young man, the swirls of color beginning to fade into that hopeful gaze. Youcanbeflabbergastedlatertoo,butfornowitwouldbewonderfulifyoucouldfeedme?Ihaven'teatenin...forever.

The hatching seemed to be winding down to an end, so much so that the anticipation to leave the grounds was starting to mount up. Cat leaned against Niomi as the next egg hatched, revealed a delightful looking green, though if there was any that he'd ever call beautiful it would be Haddy; she was the darling of his heart. He smiled as the creature made her way about, until she finally found her match, and he couldn't help but wonder if this reminded Niomi of her own Impression day.

The next to come was the second half of the twin browns, who took his time in order to say hello to the eggs that remained it seemed. He chuckled at that and wondered what it was he was saying to the dragons inside, but supposed it was between siblings, but soon enough the baby dragon was off, roaming the grounds and searching for the one that was his. It didn't take long, much like the green that had come before him, to find his match, and he gave the woman next to him a squeeze as he came between two young women and a young man.

It didn't take long to find out which he was going to choose though, and Cat nodded and gave Niomi a slight squeeze. "I had to wonder, for a moment there, if he was going to choose one of those girls. The last time a brown chose a girl was a couple of hatchings ago, wasn't it?" He could have sworn that had been the case at least. Regardless, that now left just three eggs, if he wasn't mistaken, though he could have been wrong.

As he was checking, one of those eggs shook and cracked, revealing a strong looking blue. "Ah, I'd wondered if another blue would be in the clutch or not." It announced that it wasn't meant to be on the sands, and Cat chuckled. "Watch it come this way. I'll laugh if it comes over here, Niomi." He gave her a squeeze, finding the very idea funny. He was going to be twenty-eight at the start of the next season, it wasn't even possible, and he wasn't sure how he would take it...

But the dragon started to step in the direction he was sat in, and his arm tightened around her, and his stomach started to clench. "Shit..." Sure enough, it was coming closer, and closer still, and Cat didn't know what to do as it finally came to a stop right in front of him. Yes,it'syouCataren,itwasalwaysyou. That wasn't his voice. That wasn't Niomi's voice. It was the voice of the creature sat in front of him. He could feel something else too, something strange and... beautiful, warm, different. Youcanbeflabbergastedlatertoo,butfornowitwouldbewonderfulifyoucouldfeedme?Ihaven'teatenin...forever.

He shook his head and looked at Niomi. "I'm already flabbergasted, you silly thing." He realized he'd spoken to the blue when he'd meant to speak to Niomi, and he rubbed his face. "I... I have to go." He wanted to hug her, to tell her he would be back with her soon enough, but this was... this was all too much right now. Nakotomith's chirp brought him back to himself and he looked down, and the blue spoke to him again. Shecancomevisitlater.Butfoodfirst.Hurry.

He nodded at that and slipped away from Niomi. "Come visit later. Food first. I need to hurry." He lifted the blue up and laughed when he wiggled in his arms. Starting down the stands, he was about to take the first step down, when once again that lovely voice spoke to him. Youforgottotellhersomething. Right! He turned back to Niomi and smiled. "I love you." Then, with that said, he made his way from the stands, armful of blue, and was directed to where the food was.

R'fael watched Aggy carefully, even if he wasn't super close to where she was standing. As each egg hatched, and chose others, and the numbers dwindled, he felt her pain. He stood several times, every Hatching for two Turns in fact, before he finally Impressed his blue Tureath. A small smile tugged his lips at the memory of that Hatching. One that vanished swiftly at the next memory, that Tureath was gone. But R'fael was beyond crying over that loss anymore. He had Pavoth, and he couldn't imagine not having him now. You can't change the past. You can only deal with the present enough to hope for a good future.

In the meantime, the eggs were not waiting for anyones emotions. He didn't notice the haughty little green until she squawked at her shell. Then he couldn't help but grin at the little thing's attitude. Sorry, little one. Oh, she was a bit of a spitfire alright. He watched, hoping, but in the end he deflated a little on Aglaia's behalf as the green chose another.

But another egg was moving, wobbling, and finally rolling across the Sand some, away from the others. Cracks spidered their way across the shell, and then bulged as the dragonet within pushed, fought against it. Then a pound, a push, and a chunk of shell fell away, revealing a lovely little green snout. It seemed almost like the greens were finally catching up. A few more moments, and the little thing was revealed fully, and the audience gasped a little at her markings. She was stunning, and adorable, and R'fael grinned. Again though, she nosed around until she found hers, and it wasn't his girl.

Four eggs remained...Four chances(unless there was some freak miracle like the twin browns, which R'fael doubted). But it seemed the wandering brown was finally moving, nosing around to his fellow egglets first, as if he just wanted to wait and see them all before Impressing. The man grinned though, Come on, little fellow. You'll see them all soon enough, go find yours. And he seemed to, finally.

Not long after the Brown Impressed, another egg pushed and cracked and rocked until it crumbled and revealed a blue. A blue that was such a deep Harper blue it was practically perfect. R'fael could practically feel some of the visiting Harper's murmur in appreciation. But the dragonet himself...He was headed for the Stands now, people wiggling out of his way. R'fael ended up standing up to move out the Blue's way, watching with a grin as he found his. As the new pair went for the feeding area though, he looked at the remaining three eggs, and the remaining numerous Candidate's. Oh, there would be several left standing, and he resolved that he'd have to talk with Aglaia as soon as he could catch her if she was one of those left behind.

Tag: Cataren

So absorbed with watching the twins, Niomi didn't immediately notice the freshly hatched green right away either, until she made a noise. Then she couldn't help but smile a little as she moved through and found hers. And then another green broke free, after rolling a bit away from the rest. It was honestly fascinating how different the dragons could look. Hadranielth was so different than other greens, and those greens were different too. They were all so unique.

And when Cat kissed the edge of her mouth, she couldn't help but return it with a broad smile. And oh, yes, Arthur, of course. Her fingers found the irritable flitts eyeridges and petted oh-so-softly. Honestly, her attention was really only partially on the Sands now, too absorbed with her own thoughts about Cataren(some of them highly inappropriate).

Then the wandering brown finally seemed to make a decision, and wove back and forth between the Candidate's before finding his and Impressing. She clapped with the rest, eager for the fact there were only a few eggs left. Nearly over, and they could go find a quiet little spot, maybe her rooms...

Another egg hatched, revealing a glorious blue that took many onlooker's breath away, and knew the harpers would be envious. ”Oh, he's handsome!” And he also seemed to immediately know his was nowhere on the Sands, and headed for the Stands. People scrambled out of his way, and Niomi watched with interest as the dragonet got closer and closer. ”He's coming this way still!” She fidgeted as he got close,r, pushing into Cataren's squeeze on her, watching as the baby passed-

But wait, no...no, he didn't pass them by though, he stopped. Directly in front of Cataren. Niomi's brows furrowed as she saw the flash of rainbow Impression hit the blue's whirling eyes, felt Cat's arm on her tighten and loosen, and he stood. She just...stared. She couldn't even comprehend what just happened. Cat...or...C'taren? Now? He stood, taking the blue up in his arms. Cat had Impressed. Cat had Impressed. Even Haddy was silent in her mind as the green blinked in fascination. Cat was speaking though, and she somehow understood and nodded, ”Go on then. I'll see you later.” And he was walking away, and her heart both sank and sang at the same time.

At the last moment though, he turned, and she smiled at him, ”I love you too!” As he went down the steps to the sands to go to the Feeding area though, she stood and shouted after him, grinning ear to ear, ”Congratulations, C'taren!” A few people eyed her curiously, but then shrugged it off. There were still eggs on the Sands, after all. And she could care less. She just wanted the Feast to come, so she could see him, congratulate him properly.

Aglaia glanced askance while the brown finally found the one he'd been looking for. The young woman blew out a quavery breath, one that she didn't realize she'd been holding. She forced herself to release the robe, only for her arms to fold over her middle. Aggie absently rubbed her arms, looking to the eggs once more. Four.

No.

Three and a blue. A fine, fine looking blue, at that! But, the touch of his mind was brief and a terrible kind of reminder. As he went to the Stands, her gaze followed. Her mouth twitched for a moment, threatening to betray her, but she finally got a grip on it. The girl went stone-faced, pushing the rejection back down, down, down where it belonged.

No good putting that on display for the dragonets to see, was it? Not at all. Though she did not smile, she did try to force happy thoughts to the fore, masking the walls and dismay and the sadness. But, what good would that do? Surely they would see past it. They would see the frustration and desperation, wouldn't they? Would it matter? Her thoughts tied themselves in knots, but her mien remained hard and unyielding this time.

It was not yet over, even if, to her, it felt as if it already was. It was that hardened expression that was briefly turned to R'fael, though the girl didn't try to seek his gaze. There were still three eggs out there; three more possibilities, even if there were still so many Candidates out there with her.

OPEN

Pahaliah tracked the progress of the other brown until he, at last, found his on the sands. There wasn't much time for the artist to get to a fresh page; no, another egg hatched to expose a gloriously blue dragonet.

"Look at that," Paha breathed. "I don't think I have a hue of blue to match him. He is a marvel." The artist's despair was temporary; though there was no suitable match in hue, the Harper was able to note some approximate equivalents and some experimental blends that might suit well.

But, then, it wasn't much longer and then the blue was in the Stands, much to the artist's amusement. "Oh ho! There. That's much better light to see you in," but Paha's words were musing, rather than actively directed to the blue that moved with such purpose through the Stands. The proximity of the creature did mean that it was easier to make note of the markings - though there were precious few on him.

"Two from the Stands! And three yet to go, unless there are other surprises stowed away in those shells." Another set of twins, perhaps? It was a fine fantasy, at least!

After the hatching of the blue, it seemed as if there was a slight lull among the last three eggs. They stopped rocking, at least briefly, and all because one in particular wasn’t sure if it even wanted to hatch or not. Oh, it knew that it had to, but there was that decision that needed to be made, and it was such a big decision… why must it make it again? Couldn’t it be put off just a little while longer?

Apparently not, according to that dratted left foot that just so happened to kick hard enough to crack open the egg, and started the rocking process once more. It wasn’t how one had envisioned their entrance into the world, but… Darnit.IsupposeIhavenochoicebuttofinishthis.Justgivemeamoment,willya,please? Came the voice from inside the shell as it started to wobble to and fro.

Slowly from within, more taps could be heard, along with loud grunts and frustrated sounds. The foot that was visible was dark, too much to call on the actual color, but the voice that had called out marked a feminine dragon from within. Comeon,youpeskyshell.Oooh,youaresofrustrating! She was trying so hard to get herself free, but she was having a bit of difficulty. Eventually though, another crack formed, and she was able to get another portion of her body free.

Then another.

And another...

Finally, she wriggled enough that she was able to shake it all free, revealing quite the little beauty from within. She looked like something that might be painted across a night sky in winter, varying shades of green and "sparkling" with stars across her hide. She didn't seem to notice her appearance though - what she did notice was that her shaking had managed to sand blobs of goop towards some of the candidates, and she quickly raced towards them to try and clear it away.

Aglaia was the first, and the green tried her best to clear it away from the girl. Oh,Iamsosorryaboutthat,letmejust...there.Allcleannow. A boop from her talon-less paw was all she was left with before the green moved on to Ashton next, brushing away shell with her tail. Mightnotbemine,butjusttobesafe! She knew there was more, but oh, was she hungry! She stopped by Raevin and Zaynallen and inspected them, but Oh,Ididn'tgetanythingonyoutwo,thankfully.Good!

A few more candidates were checked, some of them cleaned of goop that she was able to get, that hadn't dried, or shells that were resting on or around them, before she stopped at one that just... yes. What was she doing dancing around cleaning up after herself when she should have gone straight to them. Howincrediblysillyofme! She exclaimed, a happy squeal leaving her as she buried her muzzle against her chosen's stomach. Yes,yes,Iamyours,andyouareEvonlieth's!